Five Years

Today has been what I like to call "a Scotland day." The temperature has hovered around 50, and the rain has either come down in torrents or settled into a fine mist under overcast skies. As much as I love the sun, the Scottish weather has been appropriate for the day.

Call me sentimental, but I love celebrating September 26--our dating anniversary. In the week preceding, I often find myself reminiscing about my time in Aberdeen, Scotland, clearing a courtyard of debris, hauling thousands of pieces of flooring from the demolished church basement, handing out sweets at the local universities, and finding myself crushing on the children's pastor at Aberdeen AOG.

I hadn't set off to find a guy to crush on during my trip. In fact, I'd bristled when one of our team leaders jokingly told us girls to watch out (there was a history of American girls falling in love with Scottish guys at this church). I did not set out on this trip to find my husband.

But then I started noticing Dave Gwynne as he helped with some of the construction work, interacted with university students as we handed out sweets, and played with the babies at the church's Mums 'n Tots group. I even wrote in my journal, "Dave would make a great friend. I could see him hanging out with my other friends back home, playing Tetris." (Our group at the time was obsessed with playing Tetris whenever we could get the chance.)

September 26, 2006

I didn't get to talk to Dave much during the trip; I admired him from afar. But on September 25, he stopped by the church office to drop off toilet paper. (Yes, that was on his to-do list for work that day.) We struck up a conversation about the rivers in Aberdeen and other local info I could use for the newsletter article I was writing for my church. He was the sweetest, most helpful guy I had met in a long time. He had to run off that afternoon, and I was sad when the rest of the day passed by without another visit from him.

Little did I know that the following day, he would ask me and my friends if we would like to walk around Aberdeen during our afternoon off. Little did I know that a conversation about how he wore his watch would turn into never leaving each other's side for the rest of the day. Little did I know that I would hug him at the end of a fun evening at the pool hall with our friends and hear a quiet whisper in my mind: He's the one.

A few days after our engagement in April 2007

I came home from that trip the next day and was thrilled to see an e-mail from him waiting for me, just as he'd promised that night outside the pool hall. I knew that I would marry that guy, but it took some convincing other people. Every time a doubter would share concerns, I would just say to myself, "Just wait. They'll see they were wrong once we get married." I knew, deep down in my bones, that Dave Gwynne was the man I was meant to marry.

Married in 2008

We were engaged only seven months after we'd started dating. Yes, it was fast, but there are times in life when you know without a doubt that you're making the right decision. This was one of those times. Our engagement was a bit longer than our pre-engagement time, which allowed us more time to get to know each other, fly across the ocean and six time zones for visits, and complete premarital class solo. (Yes, I had to faithfully attend on my own with a photo of Dave as proof that he did exist.)

All the waiting was worth it. When we finally got married, I would look at him and tear up, amazed that he didn't have to leave to go back to Scotland anytime soon. We were together!

Thanksgiving 2009

Dave and I were talking about our dating anniversary as we ate a romantic dinner at Culver's tonight. I told him that, in some ways, I enjoy celebrating our "together" anniversary more than our wedding anniversary. As much as I loved our wedding and am so grateful for the ceremony and all it represents, I really think my life-changing day was September 26, 2006. That was the day I realized that all my years of waiting for a special guy to love, be loved by, serve God with, and grow with were totally worth the wait.

At a friend's wedding in 2010

I am so grateful that God orchestrated the events of two people living in totally different parts of the world to lead them to each other. I'm so grateful that I followed His lead when He planted a love for the UK when I was a teen and a desire to serve there when I was a college student. I am so grateful for the strength He gave both of us when people doubted and when the pain of missing each other seemed close to unbearable.

On vacation in August 2011

The Lover of my soul led me to the love of my life on September 26, 2006, and that is why I look forward to celebrating this day every year. Happy anniversary, my love. Thank you for an amazing five years!

Contentment

I was driving to the next stop on my errand circuit tonight when I passed a sign with this phrase on it:

"Wherever you are, be fully there."

Considering my attitude the last few days, this was the exact reminder I needed. So often, I am tempted to think that my life would be better . . . if only. I look around and see people adding another child to their broods, buying houses, going on exotic vacations. And, as much as I love where my life is right now, I can be tricked into thinking that something more is needed to make my life feel complete.

1 Timothy 6:6 says, "But godliness with contentment is great gain." We hear this verse a lot, but I'm especially appreciative of the ever-important context. The statement is directed toward those who believe that financial wealth is of utmost importance, going so far as to believe that godliness is merely the avenue to financial wealth (v. 5). But Paul has another mind-set for believers: "If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that" (v. 8).

I think it's interesting that, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses the worries associated with food and clothing. He says, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear" (Matthew 6:25). He doesn't mention worrying about not having a house (and by that I mean not owning a home as opposed to not having a place for shelter). He doesn't mention worrying about not having children. There's no mention about worrying about not being able to take a vacation to the Caribbean, either.

That's not to say that those things aren't good. They are good, and we can consider them blessings from God when He gives them to us. But they shouldn't be the basis for our contentment. Instead, we should be content with knowing that He is taking care of us. He will provide for our needs.

So, going back to the sign I saw tonight, I'm going to be fully present where I am. Instead of wishing for the next big thing, I'm going to be grateful that God provided us with the food to make tacos for dinner tonight. I'm going to be grateful that God provided us with money to buy the shirts on our backs. I may not have all of my wants, but I certainly have all of my needs--and that's, really, all that matters.

Vacation Top 10

Every year my family heads south to stay for nearly a week at the lake. I've been going to this place since I was a teenager, so it's been really fun to experience everything there with Dave. Fortunately, his idea of a good time includes being in the middle of nowhere, driving a boat around the lake, and fishing.

There were many good memories from our week at the lake, including jumping into the lake on one of the hottest days of the summer (we were near or above 100 most of the week), losing a fishing pole to the lake, and questioning the waitress's understanding of what biscuits are.

I've compiled a Top 10 list of moments from our 2011 vacation to the lake. Enjoy!

1. Seeing a bald eagle in person. Maybe I've just been living under a rock all this time, but I'd never seen a bald eagle (except on TV and in books). When we saw this bird at the nature station we visited, I stood in front of its cage for 10 minutes, completely amazed by its size. No wonder our nation chose it as an important symbol of our country.

2. Visiting the city named after me. I'd always seen Erin, Tennessee, on the weather map when we'd watch the news on vacation, but we never made the 2-hour trek to check it out--until this year. The town was surprisingly big, complete with its own downtown area and, most important, its own Piggly Wiggly.
3. Having the whole family together. I loved that our whole family was able to spend the week together. Below is my brother, Nate, and sister-in-law, Kim; Dave and me; and my mom and dad. It's funny to me that my brother and I are now at a point in life where we get to share the lake with our spouses. I hope we can one day share it with our children, too.
4. Proving to Nate and Kim that there are indeed goats on Goat Island. Yes, we've been going to the lake for a long time, but it wasn't until last year that we'd spotted goats on an island in the middle of the lake. It turns out that, when the area was flooded decades ago, goats sought shelter at the highest point, which is now an island. They're still there, and it was fun to show Nate and Kim, who weren't on vacation with us last year, that we weren't making everything up.
5. Enjoying the view of the lake from our room. Every room where we stay has a balcony that overlooks the lake. One of my favorite activities is sitting outside to read while I enjoy the sights and sound of the waterfront.
6. Being out on the lake. Our family always rents a pontoon when we're at the lake. I love the wind in my hair and the sun on my face as we putt-putt around the lake. (Really, the boat has a 60 HP engine on it; you can't zip around on that!) It's a great way to enjoy being outdoors, and when it gets too hot, you can lower the anchor, then jump right in to cool off.
7. Watching the guys go fishing. This year was especially fun because my brother caught a bunch of bass. Our family usually sticks with the bluegill, so seeing a bass on the line was exciting.
8. Visiting Patti's. We go to Patti's for lunch every year, and every year it's one of the best meals of the week. This time, I actually saved room for their version of derby pie. I've been craving it ever since!
9. Supporting local businesses. The town we stay in isn't big on chain restaurants, except for the Cracker Barrel and a handful of fast-food restaurants next to the interstate. In other words, there isn't a Starbucks for miles. There is, however, a cute little coffee shop that offers delicious sandwiches and drinks.
10. Making mealtime an adventure. Speaking of local businesses, we'd driven past this restaurant for years but never tried it because 1.) it's pretty worn down on the outside and 2.) we were usually on our way to Sonic for lunch. (It's true, we do sometimes support the chain restaurants, too.) This year, though, Dave and I decided to be adventurous and try this place out. The inside didn't look much better than the outside, with peeling wallpaper and dated furniture. But the waitress was so friendly, and the food was good. I'm glad we tried it.
Looking at all these pictures is making me wish we were back down there, but missing the lake makes me appreciate the week we spend there even more. In less than a year, we'll be back. I can't wait!

St. Joseph Getaway

If there's one town the Gwynnes love to visit, it's St. Joseph, Michigan. Since we honeymooned there three years ago, we've managed to visit each summer. Sometimes, it's been for a day. Other years, we've spent a weekend. This year, we were able to take our first mini-vacation of the year with 3 days in the area. We drove up after church last Sunday and arrived in time for dinner.

One thing I love about staying in downtown St. Joe is the ability to walk everywhere. We were within walking distance of many restaurants, cute shops, and, most important, the beach.

Every year, the town has a different theme and displays various sculptures around downtown. This year, we enjoyed their Barnyard at the Beach!

Dinner our first night in town was at a new favorite (for us), Clementine's. It's right on the river and provided a great view of the boats coming in from a day on the lake.

After strong thunderstorms came through on Monday morning and postponed our plans for the beach, we drove an hour north to Holland, where we enjoyed lunch (and a slice of Snickers pie for dessert) at Russ'.

The Silver Beach carousel opened last year, but we enjoyed our first ride this year. We shared our ride on the peacock, which is a bench that rocks back and forth (think of it as an extreme rocking chair). I felt like the thing was going to launch me off the ride! It was super fun. We'd received an extra token, so I made sure to spend my second ride on the University of Michigan horse. I was the only person on the ride, so I had fun being the VIP, as the announcer referred to me.

We stayed on the seventh floor of the hotel, so this was our view from the room. Beautiful!

On the way home on Tuesday, we stopped for lunch at The Stray Dog in New Buffalo. Our favorite part is the patio on the rooftop. My favorite part of this particular visit was being asked if I was 21. This was music to my ears, considering I'm mere months away from a big birthday (and it's not 21).

Fourth of July

Our 4th of July weekend was a good one this year. It had just the right balance of fun, relaxation, time with family, and time at church.

We began the fun on Friday night with dinner at Red Robin and dessert at McDonald's with our BOGO coupon for iced drinks. It was nice enough to sit outside and enjoy some of the illegal fireworks being shot off down the road.

On Saturday, we relaxed and did our grocery shopping before heading to church for the Saturday evening service. Our special guest at church was a former Marine who's written a book about his experiences fighting in the latest war. He was the most humble man! I was very inspired by his story and look forward to reading his book.

After church, Dave and I tried a new kabob restaurant. We didn't get kabobs, but we really enjoyed our gyro plates. Look at all that food! It was delicious.

Dinner was followed by a movie at our local drive-in theater. We learned that you need to apply bug spray when attending a drive-in movie. Our legs and arms will never be the same, thanks to all the mosquitoes that feasted on us during the film. Ick!

Sunday was filled with teaching Sunday school in the morning, talking to Dave's parents and napping in the afternoon, and spending some time at the pool in the evening. It was another gorgeous day.

We woke up early for a holiday so we could attend a parade near my aunt and uncle's house in a nearby town. The parade was only 45 minutes long, but it was fun.

We always sit at the beginning of the parade route, but this year it was the staging area for all the emergency personnel and their trucks. Talk about loud!

I remember seeing this junior high marching band in parades when I was a child and thinking they were so grown up. Now they look tiny! This band always impresses me. They have a talented group of students.

My dentist (who played at our wedding) was a part of the parade this year.

After the parade, we went to a local breakfast joint for brunch. This photo is especially for my dad, who Dave calls, "Pop."

Considering our experience with mosquitoes earlier in the weekend, Dave and I wanted to make sure we kept them at bay when we went to our town's fireworks display. These bug bands seemed to help.

It was very difficult to get up this morning to go to work! Fortunately, I don't have to wait much longer for some more time off to enjoy the summer.

Storms

Exactly two weeks ago, I was waiting out a storm in the basement of a local library. Storms were forecast for the evening, but my friend Brittany and I went to cheer on our friend Leanne at her softball game. We could see the dark sky to the west of us, but we were happy that the rain held off long enough to get both games in.

As soon as we got back in the car, I turned on news radio to get the latest. Surprisingly, a handful of counties, including ours, were under a tornado warning! It was a bit surreal as we drove toward home, just waiting for the storm, still to our west, to hit. Brittany stayed on the phone with her husband while I focused on getting us home before the storm. Realizing we wouldn't make it in time, and strongly encouraged by Brittany's husband to find a safe place, I suggested seeking shelter in the basement of the library. We pulled up, parked the car, and hurried to the building. The library's employees directed us to the basement, where everyone else was already gathered. We stayed there for an hour, sneaking up the stairs to get reception to make calls and assure our families we were safe, listening to the crazy wind, and looking up as the lights flickered.

Brittany and I may look frightened, but we felt safe in the library's basement, and we agreed there was no better place for two bookworms to be stuck during a storm.

Finally, it was safe to leave. I drove the car slowly down the street, doing my best to avoid fallen branches or flooded pavement. Main Street was closed, likely because of fallen trees or power lines. Our town was spared from the tornadoes that came through the area, but we still had some damage. A huge tree across the street from my apartment was completely uprooted, and branches littered our complex.

This branch had been threatening to fall for the last few months, and the storm finally brought it down, along with part of the fence.

It was the scariest storm of the summer, but I'm glad I was able to hang out in the library with a good friend instead of hanging out by myself in our apartment building's creepy basement.

Here's another view of the damage from our balcony.

While Dave's Away . . .

Dave took a last-minute trip to Scotland to be with his family for nearly 3 weeks. He left two days after the school year ended, and he returned this past Wednesday.

I know that we dated long-distance for nearly 2 years before getting married, but 3 years have passed since we said, "I do." It was weird signing on to Skype every evening when I got home from work so I could talk to Dave for an hour. I'm sure it was weird for him to either stay up late or get up in the middle of the night to talk to me. But we made it. He had a good visit with his family, and I was able to hang out with friends and family a lot. Here are some highlights from our weeks apart, at least from my perspective.

This is how I stayed in touch with my husband every evening. Thank you, Lord, for Skype!

Pret A Manger is one of my favorite restaurants in the world, but I've been able to eat there only when I've been in London or Glasgow. The company recently opened a location in Chicago, and I was able to try it with my friend Sarah. It was just as good as I remembered.

Dave bought us tickets to Peter Pan and a pirate cruise as a reward for my finishing a difficult project at work. Unfortunately, he wasn't here to experience the fun, but Sarah and I thoroughly enjoyed his gift. The pirates on the pirate cruise were hilarious!

Everyone on the boat received an eye patch, so Sarah and I took a picture of our pirate-y selves.

Poor Dave also missed the annual Scottish Festival. (I think he didn't feel too badly about that, considering he was actually in Scotland.) I took my parents along for the day, and we had a good time catching up with friends, shopping for Scottish goods, and checking out this sheep herding demonstration.

We also bought ice cold Irn Bru to enjoy. Yum!

All in all, the weeks flew by, and before I knew it, I was on my way to the airport to pick up my husband. It's good to have him back home!

Catching Up

For the last two months, life has been crazy! Work was already busy, but then we had a great opportunity that required all hands on deck and some crazy hours. Last week, for instance, I worked from 8 in the morning until 11 o'clock at night, with only an hour break each for lunch and dinner. This week, I'm still working overtime, but nothing like that crazy day.

Needless to say, I haven't had much time for blogging. I thought it might be nice to catch up on what I've been doing the last two months with a photo roundup.

My friend had her baby at the beginning of April, so a few of us picked up lunch for her on a Saturday and stopped by to see her and meet her bundle of joy.

My mom and I went to Ladies Day at my alma mater the next week. We love going to conferences together. Our next conference will be the Beth Moore simulcast in the fall. We can't wait for that one!

My brother got baptized Easter weekend. Each person being baptized recorded a video testimony, and I definitely shed some happy tears when I watched my brother's. What a blessing to see my baby brother publicly declare his faith in Jesus!

We have two mourning doves, named Max and Thea, who like to hang out on our balcony every spring. In previous years, I'd sweep off their nest whenever they'd attempt to build it on our air conditioner. (Sorry--I like looking at birds but not having them so close to my door. What would happen if we opened the door and one of them flew in?) Anyway, with the cold temps this spring, I wasn't outside enough to see them building the nest until it was too late. So we had our friends as neighbors for a few weeks, until they demolished the nest and flew the coop.

I've enjoyed as much sweet tea as possible from Chick-fil-a. Thank you, Lord, for bringing Chick-fil-A to Chicagoland!

Dave and I enjoyed our first Andy's frozen custard of the year.

We had my parents over for a good old-fashioned Sunday dinner on Mother's Day. I made a pot roast for lunch. It was delicious, and I loved the opportunity to cook for my mom after all the cooking she's done for me through the years.

So, that's what's been going on in our lives. Up ahead, we're looking forward to a trip downtown to see Peter Pan, many trips to the cinema to see the summer blockbusters, and time with friends and family as the weather (hopefully) warms up.

Lottery Tickets and Other Gifts

This blog may end up a chronicle of funny things my Sunday school kids say, but because I don't have cute children yet, you'll just have to read all about the church kids (and then I will share plenty of funny stories of my own children when they provide the entertainment).

First of all, there is the cutest little girl who recently joined our class. She's one of the younger children in the room, so she still has that little-girl voice, which I find super adorable. Today, she was asking me a lot of questions, such as, "Where do you live?" "What kind of car do you have?" "Where is your car?" At one point, she noticed my ring and asked, "Why do you wear that?" I replied, "Because I'm married."

"What did you marry?"
"A boy."

I loved that she asked what I married. So cute! Because we'd talked about my being married, I pointed Dave out to her when we passed him in the hallway on our way to a bathroom break. On the way back, passing him at the information desk, she asked me, in her soft-spoken way, "Is that the boy you married?"

Later, during my small group time, I asked the children questions about Mother's Day, including what presents they gave their moms. Most kids had the typical answers: flowers, breakfast, cards. But one kid went the extra mile:

"I gave my mom flowers, a card, and lottery tickets."

You have to appreciate his honesty.

Dinosaurs Are Funny!

One of the reasons why I love working with preschoolers at church is because I hear some of the funniest comments from them. Yesterday was especially full of good ones. Here are a few memories:

A girl in my small group is the epitome of precocious. She often sounds like a grown-up, but she is still clearly a preschooler (she loves to grab the boys' hands to dance during worship, much to their chagrin). Yesterday, she came up to me with one of the toy dinosaurs and asked, "What kind of dinosaur is this? Is it a plant eater?" Uh. I looked in its mouth, saw no teeth, and declared it a plant-eating dinosaur.

This same girl, in the middle of our small group time, decided to tell me that dinosaurs are funny. Nothing more, nothing less.

My favorite moment of the day came when I was playing supermarket with another girl. She stood in the playhouse, and I sat outside, asking her for various items, which she would then pretend to give me. At one point, she decided to give me what she wanted to give me, so I was the recipient of apple juice and cranberry juice. I politely drank each glass of juice, proclaiming it delicious. Imagine my surprise, then, when she handed me my next drink and said, "Here's your beer."

Words of Hope

Have you heard of the trend that involves claiming a word for your year? I hadn't heard about it until a few months ago, but as we approached the start of 2011, one word kept coming back to me: hope.

You see, there are quite a few people in my life who are in the middle of a waiting period. I have prayed and prayed and prayed for God to end this waiting, but it just hasn't happened yet. As I was thinking about this, I thought of how I didn't want to give up hope while we waited. Sometimes situations seem hopeless, but I wanted to remain hopeful despite the discouraging circumstances.

Since choosing this word, I have been challenged. (Of course I've been challenged. In the same way that people are often afraid to pray for patience, I was a bit nervous to focus on hope this year because I knew I'd have plenty of opportunities to work on it.) Prayers have not yet been answered the way we have wanted them to be. I've been keeping an eye out for hope-filled Bible verses, and God has brought me to a couple in just the last two days through the copyediting project I'm currently working on. If you're in need of hope, my prayer is that you find it through these promises from God.

"Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: the faithful love of the Lord never ends!" (Lamentations 3:21-22)

"Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." (Hebrews 10:36, emphasis mine)

Road Trip to Wisconsin

Dave's been on spring break all week, but because I can't afford to take time off at the moment, we waited until the weekend to have some fun. Our original plan was to take an overnight trip, but thanks to some fun trips we're saving up for later this year, we decided to go cheap and do a day trip. Aside from gas money, we only spent money on our lunch this afternoon. I'd say that was a great deal!

First, we started our journey with some good tunes, courtesy of this FREE CD I picked up a few years ago in a tiny town in Scotland named Tarbert. We learned the importance of pedestrian safety until we grew tired of the songs and story after 44 minutes. I did enjoy hearing those Scottish accents, though.


So, where were we headed this morning? The Jelly Belly warehouse in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, of course! We took a tour of the warehouse on the Jelly Belly train, and at the end we were rewarded with a bag of the sweet treats. Yum!

Our stop at the Jelly Belly warehouse didn't take as long as we expected, so we drove up to Kenosha and discovered the Kenosha Public Museum, which happened to have free admission. Dave was frightened by this giant beaver, but I managed to convince him to take a picture with this beast. Speaking of beasts, one of the exhibits in the museum was about the woolly mammoths discovered in Kenosha County, complete with a life-size woolly mammoth and woolly-mammoth skeleton. Those things were huge! I attempted to take a picture but failed. If you're ever in the Kenosha area, you'll have to stop by and see them for yourself.

After our tour of the museum, we headed for lunch at our favorite Kenosha eatery--Fazoli's. There was a period of time when Fazoli's could be found in Chicagoland, but alas, that time has ended. When we discovered this Fazoli's last year, I was thrilled, and Dave quickly became a fan of Italian food . . . fast. This was our third trip to Fazoli's in a year, which is quite impressive when you consider that we live 90 minutes away from it. The breadsticks alone are worth the drive, friends.

With all our Kenosha points of interests visited, we decided to venture farther north to Milwaukee. Dave had just visited the city for a field trip with his students a couple of weeks ago, but I had never been. We wound up at the lakefront and took advantage of the beautiful weather by walking along the lake. I love my hometown, but there is no way you could easily find free parking next to the lake in Chicago. For that reason alone, I became a fan of Milwaukee. In the middle of our stroll, we found a cute coffee shop (it's that building behind us). It must be a favorite of the locals, because it was packed! We found a bench outside and enjoyed the sunshine.

On our way back, we walked past the Milwaukee Yacht Club. Most of the boats are still in winter storage, but I captured this picture of them. Soon they'll be found on the lake!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love being near bodies of water? They make my heart so happy!
I'm so grateful for the beautiful weather we had for our road trip today. It was a bit chilly (note the winter jacket, mittens, and wind-blown hair above), but it was lovely. I thoroughly enjoy days like the one we had.